Shio the Shiba

Quick update to let everyone know that we're okay!
It's been a week since Hurricane Sandy passed through the tri-state area and we feel very fortunate to emerge unscathed by her wrath. We know that our neighboring areas, friends, and family have all suffered as a result and we have been helping where as we can. The whole ordeal was pretty frightening as we watched it unfold outside our windows in the media. We see the aftermath every day during our walks. Last week we thought that going to DUMBO and seeing water levels that reached up to 4 ft high was bad but today's trip to South Street Seaport revealed levels above 5.5 ft. We haven't even been able to see the worst of it yet. Needless to say, there is a lot of collective work that needs to continue in order to resume normalcy, starting with regaining electricity and public transport.

Here are some photos of the pups the morning before the hurricane. We took them out at 10am and walked them for as long as we could knowing the that storm would arrive any moment. The next walk was timed by watching the news obsessively to figure out when the worst of the storm would hit Brooklyn. We took them out at 5:30pm after news broke that the worst part storm would pass between 6:30-8pm. Venturing out at that time was frightening - winds were at high speeds and large tree branches had fallen. We carried the pups a few blocks to a relatively tree-free area of the park so they could potty and ran back carrying them as fast as we could. They sensed that something was happening in the air but luckily our Shibas are relatively unfazed by the loud winds and rain so they slept peacefully through the night.

The next morning, we took them out as soon as sun came out and rain stopped so they could relieve themselves. Everyone outside ventured out to survey the damage and awe at nature's strength. There were parts of the neighborhood where fallen trees were the worst of it but once we ventured to DUMBO, we saw that the small businesses in the area were severely damaged and would not be able to immediately reopen.

During the last week, we were unable to leave our immediate neighborhood in Brooklyn because most forms of public transportation were flooded. There have also been massive lines for cars and people with gas containers to refill gas. We weren't even sure if there was any place to go since all major parks were still closed under advisory of the state and many areas throughout New York and New Jersey were without electricity. We've been incredibly lucky to survive the hurricane unscathed and did not want to take away from people who need gas and need the limited public transport that was available so we've been rationing out the remaining 1/4 tank of gas we have left and keeping within walking distance of our apartment. Pups seems restless but they have to make some sacrifices too!

Running through the rain puddles and debris really aren't their thing (wet paw alert!) but they'll have to make do!